Our animal shelter and sanctuary is located in the south of Tenerife, near San Isidro. On a secure site of around 12,000 m², we care for dogs and cats that need protection, care, medical help or a permanent home.
Our Arche includes buildings, enclosures and gardens that are used as an animal shelter, sanctuary and retirement sanctuary. Animals that can be rehomed and are waiting for a new home live here alongside dogs and cats that cannot be rehomed because of their age, illness, shyness or special needs. They are allowed to stay with us and are cared for until the natural end of their lives.
For 34 years, we have been helping dogs and cats in need in Tenerife. During this time, we have taken in, cared for and provided medical treatment to many thousands of animals and helped them towards a better future.
An animal shelter of this size can only continue with reliable support. Food, medication, veterinary care, spaying and neutering, maintenance and the daily care of our animals create ongoing costs. This is why regular donations, sponsorships and memberships are especially important for our work.
We are pleased to welcome visitors who would like to meet our animals and see our work on site. As the daily work at the shelter needs to be planned, we ask you to make an appointment in advance.
Visit our shelter – find all the info here (registration, address, directions).
Our Facilities
Buildings and areas of our animal shelter
Our 12,000 m² site near San Isidro has various buildings, enclosures, outdoor exercise areas and gardens. Together, they form our animal shelter, sanctuary and retirement sanctuary for dogs and cats in Tenerife.
Finca and living areas
The finca is the main building and the centre of our Arche. Some of our staff and volunteers live in the large house, which has 5 rooms, 2 kitchens and 2 bathrooms. At the same time, the finca is also home to many cats and some dogs.
The finca has a large terrace and an enclosed outdoor garden. There is also a small stone house, known as our suite, where especially shy cats can retreat whenever they need to.
Directly next to the finca is an annex with 2 rooms, 1 kitchen and 1 bathroom for long-term volunteers. Sick animals and emergency cases are also housed and cared for there when necessary.
Our shelter manager lives in a separate wooden house with their own animals as well as foster and emergency animals. The dogs and cats there also have access to a large enclosed outdoor garden.
There is also a quarantine and medical unit as well as a storage area for food and transport crates. This building also contains a small apartment and 2 rooms for volunteers and staff.
Areas for our cats
Our cats have a large cat house on the site with 3 rooms, 3 tiled outdoor areas and 3 large outdoor gardens. They also have access to a cat suite and a small wooden house.
This allows our cats to live safely, move around freely and retreat when they need to. Safe places to withdraw are an important part of our daily care, especially for shy, older or sick cats.
Areas for our dogs
Our dogs live in the dog house, the puppy enclosure and, during the day, in various fenced outdoor exercise areas. The dog house has 9 tiled indoor and outdoor kennels, a food preparation kitchen, a storage room, 9 outdoor areas with safety gates and 3 emergency outdoor areas without safety gates.
The puppy enclosure has 7 tiled indoor and outdoor kennels. Four of them can be divided in emergencies. It also includes 4 outdoor exercise areas, 2 food preparation kitchens, a wash house, a small food store and a tool shed.
One particularly important area is our large outdoor exercise space of around 3,000 m². It includes an agility course and a small camping area. Two permanent Arche caravans are available there as accommodation for volunteers. There is also space for a privately owned camper van if someone would like to support us on site.
This structure helps us to house our dogs and cats safely, provide medical care and daily support, and give them as much protection, exercise and quality of life as possible.
Why Animal Welfare Abroad (German)